Posted!

Join the Conversation

Comments

Welcome to our new and improved comments, which are for subscribers only.
This is a test to see whether we can improve the experience for you.
You do not need a Facebook profile to participate.

You will need to register before adding a comment.
Typed comments will be lost if you are not logged in.

Please be polite.
It's OK to disagree with someone's ideas, but personal attacks, insults, threats, hate speech, advocating violence and other violations can result in a ban.
If you see comments in violation of our community guidelines, please report them.

Pastors across the U.S. are holding drive-in worship and other innovative services to bring their congregants closer together while observing social distancing during the coronavirus pandemic. (April 7)
AP Domestic

Oregon’s 39th COVID-19 death is a 74-year-old Linn County man, who tested positive on March 22 and died on April 3 at his residence.

Oregon’s 40th COVID-19 death is a 97-year-old Linn County man who tested positive on March 15 and died on April 4 at his residence.

Oregon’s 41st COVID-19 death is an 87-year-old Multnomah County woman who tested positive on March 28 and died on April 6 at her residence. She had underlying medical conditions.

Oregon’s 42nd COVID-19 death is a 41-year-old Multnomah County woman who tested positive on April 5 and died on April 8 at Oregon Health and Sciences University.

Oregon’s 43rd COVID-19 death is a 66-year-old Multnomah County man who tested positive on March 31 and died on April 5 at his residence.

Oregon’s 44th COVID-19 death is a 74-year-old Benton County man who tested positive on March 26 and died on April 8 at Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center in Corvallis.

All of the patients who died had underlying health conditions.

A previously reported Wallowa County case was identified as a Washington State resident, reducing the Wallowa County case total and the statewide case count by one.

COVID-19 cases in Oregon as of Thursday, April 9:

44: Deaths from COVID-19

400: People hospitalized with confirmed or suspected COVID-19

64: Patients placed on ventilators

1,321: Tests that were positive

24,306: Tests that were negative

25,627: Total number of tests given, since Jan. 24

Oregon COVID-19 cases by county

Here are the number of cases and deaths as of Thursday, April 9.

Benton: 21 cases, 2 deaths.

Clackamas: 109 cases, 3 deaths.

Clatsop: 5 cases.

Columbia: 10 cases.

Crook: 1 case.

Curry: 3 cases.

​Deschutes: 50 cases.

​Douglas: 12 cases.

Grant: 1 case.

Hood River: 3 cases.

Jackson: 44 cases.

Josephine: 16 cases.

Klamath: 20 cases.

Lane: 33 cases. 1 death.

Lincoln: 4 cases.

​Linn: 49 cases, 4 deaths.

Malheur: 2 cases.

Marion: 235 cases, 9 deaths.

Morrow: 5 cases.

​Multnomah: 302 cases, 13 deaths.

​Polk: 29 cases, 1 death.

Sherman: 1 case.

Tillamook: 4 cases.

​Umatilla: 11 cases.

Union: 3 cases.

Wallowa 1 case.

Wasco: 7 cases.

​Washington: 311 cases, 6 deaths.

Yamhill: 29 cases, 5 deaths.

Source: Oregon Health Authority

UPDATE at 1:00 p.m.

Quarterly tax payments still due in April

While the deadline for filing and payment deadlines have been extended for personal income taxes, some quarterly payments are still due in April.

Estimated quarterly payments corporate and personal income tax as well as first-quarter payments for Oregon's corporate activity tax are due this month, say Oregon Department of Revenue officials.

Corporate income taxes filed on a calendar year basis by filers expecting to owe tax of more than $500 or more on their 2020 return filed next year must make first quarter 2020 estimated payments by April 15.

Those with a corporate activity tax liability of $5,000 or more are required to make estimated first-quarter payments by April 30.

More information on the impact of the new coronavirus pandemic on state taxes can be found at the department's website at Oregon.gov/dor.

UPDATE at 11:30 a.m.

Oregon's job losses continue climb

Oregon’s unemployment claims rose to record levels for the third consecutive week according to the latest figures released Thursday by the Oregon Employment Department.

There were 100,700 new claims for the week ending April 4, an increase of nearly 10,000 from the week before. It brings the three-week total of new unemployment claims in Oregon to 269,000 since a stay-at-home order was put in place due to the novel coronavirus outbreak.

“We’re not done yet. We’ve gone through the first wave,” Western Oregon University economics professor Sean Yoder said.

Posted!

A link has been posted to your Facebook feed.

Families express their appreciation as Englewood Elementary School educators drive through the school's neighborhoods on Wednesday, April 8, 2020. Staff in Salem and Keizer have been holding in-car parades to encourage their kids. Courtesy of Tami Neiman

Families express their appreciation as Englewood Elementary School educators drive through the school's neighborhoods on Wednesday, April 8, 2020. Staff in Salem and Keizer have been holding in-car parades to encourage their kids. Courtesy of Tami Neiman

Families express their appreciation as Englewood Elementary School educators drive through the school's neighborhoods on Wednesday, April 8, 2020. Staff in Salem and Keizer have been holding in-car parades to encourage their kids. Courtesy of Tami Neiman

Families express their appreciation as Englewood Elementary School educators drive through the school's neighborhoods on Wednesday, April 8, 2020. Staff in Salem and Keizer have been holding in-car parades to encourage their kids. Courtesy of Tami Neiman

Families express their appreciation as Englewood Elementary School educators drive through the school's neighborhoods on Wednesday, April 8, 2020. Staff in Salem and Keizer have been holding in-car parades to encourage their kids. Courtesy of Tami Neiman

Interested in this topic? You may also want to view these photo galleries:

Oregon State Hospital restricting admissions

For the second time in less than a year, the Oregon State Hospital has fallen out of compliance with a long-standing federal court order that requires it admit inmates from jails within seven days of them being found so mentally ill they can’t aid in their own criminal defense.

The Oregon Health Authority — which is managing the state’s response to the coronavirus and also oversees the hospital — plans to ask a federal judge Thursday to modify an injunction on admissions imposed nearly 20 years ago.

Legacy Health expanding COVID-19 testing

Now with the capacity to run 650 tests per day, the Legacy Health system is expanding COVID-19 testing at their clinics and medical centers.

Patients who have been identified as needing testing by their health provider, through a Legacy Medical Group or Legacy-GoHeath Urgent Care virtual visit, can have their test administered at a drive-through site in Northwest Portland or Woodburn. Results are then available one to two days later.

Fishing for salmon and steelhead on the Columbia River has been closed indefinitely, officials said Wednesday.

While fishing remains open statewide, the Columbia is a shared fishery between Oregon and Washington, which has closed all recreational fishing and hunting through May 4.

In response to Washington’s closure, and to maintain concurrent regulations, Oregon closed the Columbia River spring salmon and steelhead seasons on March 26, said Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife officials.

Oregon Gov. Kate Brown and Washington Gov. Jay Inslee have both enacted sweeping measures across the two states to reduce citizens’ exposure to the coronavirus COVID-19.

In a statement issued on April 3, ODFW Director Curt Melcher said the agency would monitor ongoing fishing seasons and modify as necessary if anglers, clammers and others fail to practice appropriate social distancing.

ODFW has also stopped issuing its “recreation report,” the weekly roundup of the best places to fish.

Free child care for essential workers in Salem

Last month, families of about 1,000 children enrolled in Head Start in Marion and Polk counties, along with thousands of other area families, were tasked with staying home or finding alternative child care after area closures of the program due to the coronavirus outbreak.

The previous week’s record 6.65 million jobless claims total was revised up by 219,000 to a new all-time high of 6.86 million.

Economists had estimated that 5.5 million workers filed initial claims last week, according to a Bloomberg survey.

A staggering 17 million or so Americans now have sought unemployment benefits the past three weeks. The weekly figures dwarf the previous record of 695,000 weekly unemployment applications during a deep recession in October 1982.

Forty-three states accounting for about 95% of the U.S. population are under stay-at-home orders, with nonessential businesses such as restaurants, stores, movie theaters and other outlets closed or sharply scaled back. Airlines and hotels also have been decimated as Americans shun air and other travel.

Polk County sheriff asks for help in making masks for first responders

Polk County Sheriff Mark Garton is asking for the public’s help to make masks for first responders.

Officials plan to have about 350 masks made that will go to every police and fire department in the county. Additional masks will be given to vulnerable populations, Garton said.

Kits will be available for residents to pick up starting at 10 a.m. Saturday at the sheriff’s office on 850 Main Street in Dallas.

Each package will come with enough materials to make three masks. Residents are asked to return them completed to the sheriff’s office.

The sheriff’s office is also asking for donations of essential items and personal protective equipment. The PPE will be distributed to vulnerable health care workers, first responders and assisted care facilities in the community, Garton said.